A 17-year-old stabbed a man in the heart while on his way to meet his youth offending case worker.

The teenager, who cannot be named because of his age, then sat down for the 20-minute meeting and acted “as cool as a cucumber” while his victim, 22-year-old Abdirahman Adam, died from his wounds in hospital.

The defendant admits he stabbed Mr Adam but denies it was murder.

The trial began at Leicester Crown Court yesterday, where prosecutor Shaun Smith told the jury how the defendant chatted calmly with his case worker about knife crime and told her: “I’m untouchable. No one can get to me.”

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The jury heard that the victim and the defendant, who are both from Somalia, were known to each other and on May 14 this year the defendant had said in WhatsApp messages to friends stating: “I swear by God I’m going to poke him. I’m on rage tomorrow. Anyone I see is paying up.” He did not say in the messages who he was talking about.

At 3pm the next day Mr Adam, who lived in Kashmir Road in St Matthews, was crossing the inner ring road near the Burleys Flyover when the defendant was crossing in the opposite direction.

Leicester Crown Court and County Court (Image: Mike Sewell)

A confrontation took place and the defendant was later seen by motorists chasing Mr Adam down St Matthews Way. Moments later another motorists saw Mr Adam fall to the ground, struggle to his feet and then fall down again. Paramedics were called and a passing doctor tried to save Mr Adam.

Mr Smith said that meanwhile the defendant was caught on CCTV “ambling” into town to his meeting in Friar Lane at the Youth Offending Service.

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While waiting for his meeting, he composed a text message stating: “Ring me. I just poked G-man.”

Mr Smith said: “Disturbingly, during the meeting they were talking about knife crime and he never mentioned to his case worker what had happened.

“She said he was extremely calm and relaxed and presented as collected and happy.

“He was as cool as a cucumber.”

He told the jury hours later a computer at the defendant’s home was used to search for flights to Africa and the length of murder sentences for 17 year olds, as well as read the article on the Leicester Mercury website about Mr Adam being found injured.

Members of the defendant’s family later took him to Beaumont Leys police station, where he handed himself in at 11pm the same day but refused to answer any questions during six separate interviews.

Mr Smith said that only the victim and the defendant would ever know exactly what happened on the inner ring road.

He said: “There’s an admission that the person who put the knife into him was this young man.

“If in this case he was acting in reasonable self-defence then he’s not guilty of anything but we don’t accept he was acting in self-defence.”